Preliminary program:

18:00: Welcome Reception and Tapas
– Tomas Norvoll, President of the Nordland County Government
– Eirik Sivertsen, Head of Stortinget’s Delegation for Arctic Parliamentary Cooperation
– Edward Bannerman, Adviser to European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen

Wednesday – May 25
Location: Nord University

08:00 Bus transfer from Thon hotel to Nord University

08:00 – 09:00 Registration of participants

09:00 – 09:05: Opening of High North Dialogue 2016
– Frode Mellemvik, Director of High North Center for Business and Governance, Nord University

09:05 – 10:30: Session 1: the Blue Future and the Arctic: Political Perspectives
Moderator: Arne O. Holm, Editor in Cheif at High North News
– Edward Bannerman, Adviser to European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen
– Grete Ellingsen, State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation
– Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Member of Parliament Denmark (Greenland)
– Tomas Norvoll, President of the Nordland County Government
– Tony Penikett, Mediator and Negotiator, and Former Premier of Yukon Territory, Canada

10:30 – 10:50: Break

10:50 – 12:20: Session 2: Politics and Economy of the Arctic
Moderator: Heather Nicol, professor at Trent University, Canada
– Michael Byers, Professor at University of British Columbia – From Extinction Tourism to Extreme Oil: Is Arctic Economic Development Such a Good Idea?
– Jan-Gunnar Winther, Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute – Building blocks for a successful development of the Arctic
– Lassi Heininen, Professor at University of Lapland – The Arctic as an exceptional space in international relations – critical reading on IR and Geopolitics
– Frode M. Nilsen, CEO of Leonhard Nilsen & Sønner- Arctic competence for arctic operations
– Anu Fredrikson, Director of the Arctic Economic Council Secretariat – Arctic Economic Council: Sustainable Business Development in the Arctic– Sven Roald Nystø, R&D Leader at Arran and former president of the Norwegian Sami Parliament –Sami Future Business Development in Squeeze Between Sami Traditional Livelihoods and Global Industrial Marked Enterprises

15:20 – 17:00: Session 4: Arctic Innovation –Q/A
Moderator: Petter Nore, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
– Jonathan Read, Phantom Works International Strategy & Programme Development at Boeing – From space to the seabed – Arctic data gathering, processing and dissemination
– Øystein Braathen, Leader Arctic Development Program, Statoil – Statoil – driving the development in the North
– Hege Berg Thurmann, Group leader Arctic at DNV GL – Need for innovation to ensure safe and sustainable exploration in arctic seas
– Ken Coates, Professor at University of Saskatchewan, Canada- The Innovation Divide: The Science and Technology Challenge in the Far North
– Inge Forseth, COO Technology and Software, AKVA Group – Sustainable Aquaculture for the North
– Pan Xingming, Professor at School of Advanced International and Area Studies, East China Normal University – China’s Role in Arctic Governance and Cooperation

17:30 – 19:00: Dinner at University
– Bjørn Olsen, Rector of Nord University